Today, June 27, is the 172nd anniversary (1844) of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum. At 12:15 we attended "A Service of Remembrance" at the Smith Family Cemetery in Nauvoo. This commemoration was organized by the Community of Christ Church, with participation by the LDS Church and the Restoration Branches. There was a retelling of the Martyrdom through historical text, scripture, and music. We estimate that approximately 100 people were in attendance.

The Restoration Branches are former members of the RLDS Church who broke away in the 1980s when the RLDS Church made several changes to their doctrine and practices, including the ordaining of women to the priesthood.

The following graphic illustrates the four generations of Smiths buried at the Smith Family Cemetery.

This evening we attended another service, held at Carthage Jail, commemorating the martyrdom. There was music, and the reading of journal entries dealing with the last few days of the prophet's life. We estimate that there were approximately 400 people present.

Carthage Jail

When we arrived in Nauvoo on 28 April the corn was just an inch or two high. Now, two months later, it is about six feet high. 

It rains about six inches a month here during the summer. June has been exceptionally dry and the crops are showing the effects of no water. Most farmers here do not irrigate. In the following picture note how the corn leaves are curled.

An ordinance worker from Idaho, who is a farmer, explained to me that the leaves are curling to reduce the surface area exposed to the sun. This decreases how quickly the corn will dry out due to no water.

After attending church this morning we went to the Mormon Handcart Park in Iowa City. The park is located on the University of Iowa campus, and is the place where the pioneers gathered to build handcarts and begin their journey west.

Sandy and Sister Cluff. The Cluffs attend the Iowa City ward with us.

The following comes from a sign in the park:

"The first group of handcart pioneers arrived in Iowa City in May of 1856. They were housed in the depot for a few days before coming to this site where plenty of water and firewood were available. For the next two months this area was a bustling city of tents as each group of immigrants arrive, worked on their handcarts and made other preparation, then departed on their trek across the plains."

This afternoon Jerry and Jan Larson came to the apartment. Jerry was my best friend in high school. They served in Nauvoo for 18 months as site missionaries, and were released last year. It was fun to reconnect with them and to compare notes about serving in Nauvoo.

This evening we attended another "sociable." The BYU Noteworthy group performed and delivered brief messages. Then we attended a musical entitled, "Our Lives Go On," performed by the pageant performers.

It's been a great day.

We served in the temple this morning, then toured Nauvoo historical sites this afternoon.

When the Saints moved to Nauvoo the land next to the Mississippi, know as the flats, was a marsh. The marsh was fed by two springs on the bluff. Canals were dug to divert the spring water away from the flats. The flats eventually dried and the saints were able to build homes and businesses. Below is a picture of a stone arch bridge built in 1850 to span one of the drainage canals.

The Community of Christ Church, formally known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), owns and maintains several historical sites in Nauvoo. We went to their visitor center, then took a guided tour of five sites (descriptions are provided by them).

The Nauvoo House - In 1841 church members were commanded to build two "houses," a house for the Lord (the Nauvoo Temple) and a house for man to be known as the Nauvoo House. It was to be "a delightful habitation for man, and a resting-place for the weary traveler." Joseph Smith donated the property and a "Nauvoo House Association" was incorporated to sell stock and oversee construction. The $100,000 building was to be "L form, presenting a front on two streets of 120 feet each, 40 feet deep, and three stories high, exclusive of the basement story." Only the foundation and part of the first floor were completed during Smith's lifetime. Around 1865 Lewis Bidamon, second husband of Smith's widow Emma, began tearing down the original structure. The stone was used to build the Bidamon Stable to the north and the brick to complete the Nauvoo House as it appears today. Lewis and Emma eventually moved in and operated it as a hotel called the "Riverside Mansion" until Emma's death on April 30, 1879. Still known as the "Nauvoo House," the building today serves as a hostel for family reunions and youth groups.

The Homestead - This two-story, two-room log block house was located on the original 135 acres purchased from local farmer Hugh White and may date to 1803. Joseph Smith moved here in the spring of 1839 with his wife Emma; sons Joseph III, Frederick Granger Williams, and Alexander; and adopted daughter Julia. With the addition of a large room on the north side of the structure in 1840 this home became, for a time, the center of community life in Nauvoo. According to Joseph III, "Father's home in Nauvoo was generally overrun with visitors. There was scarcely a Sunday in ordinary weather that the house and yard were not crowded - the yard with teams and the house with callers." In 1858 a two-story addition was added to the west side of the house by Joseph Smith III and he lived here with his family until 1866. Joseph III served as justice of the peace during part of that time. While living here he also became president and prophet of the Reorganized Church, a position he held from 1860 to 1914.

The Mansion House - Completed in 1843, the Mansion House was the second Nauvoo residence of Joseph Smith and his wife Emma. A hotel wing was added and opened in late 1843. The hotel was leased to Ebenezer Robinson in January 1844. As part of the lease agreement, the Smith family maintained three rooms for their private residence. Internal confusion and conflicts with surrounding communities grew as Nauvoo increased in size. Joseph traveled to Carthage, Illinois to answer charges related to the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor press. While in Carthage Joseph and his brother Hyrum were killed by an angry mob on June 27, 1844. Their bodies were returned to the Mansion House where they laid in state until the burial. Emma and her family continued to live in the Mansion House for a time, and she remained in Nauvoo until her death on April 30, 1879. By the 1890s the hotel wing had deteriorated and it was torn down. The foundation of the hotel wing can be seen on the east side of the Mansion House.

The Red Brick Store - The original Red Brick Store opened for business on January 5, 1842, with Joseph Smith as owner and proprietor. The main floor was a general store. At the back on this floor, Bishop Newell K. Whitney had an office where people could pay their bills and tithing. On the second floor was a small office for Joseph Smith and a large meeting room. Council meetings were held there as were Masonic Lodge meetings and the organizational meeting of the "Female Relief Society" with Emma Smith as president. Also in this room, "Endowments" as later practiced in the Nauvoo Temple were introduced and Joseph Smith III (son of Joseph Smith Jr. and church president and prophet from 1860 to 1914) was designated by his father as his successor. By the fall of 1860 the Olive Branch, an early congregation of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ) was meeting on the second floor. By 1890 the building had deteriorated to the point that it was torn down. It was reconstructed on the original site and opened to the public in April 1980.

Grave of Joseph Smith - Fearing the threats of grave desecration made by Joseph's enemies, Joseph and Hyrum's family placed sandbags in the caskets buried in the city cemetery. Jospeh and Hyrum's remains were secretly buried under the basement of the Nauvoo House. After Emma's death the Smith family disinterred Joseph and Hyrum's remains and interred all three under a shed on the property. There were no written records marking the graves and the exact location became lost from memory. In 1928, Joseph's family feared the rising Mississippi River would destroy the graves, so they commissioned an excavation to locate the bodies of Joseph, Emma and Hyrum and had them re-interred in a permanent plot in the Smith Family Cemetery.

Periodically there are archaeological digs in Nauvoo. This picture is of a dig at the Samuel Smith home site. Samuel was the younger brother of Joseph.

The fellow on the left introduced himself as a grandson of Samuel Smith. The stone foundations for the home and fireplace were visible. Coins, glass bottles, and pottery have been found. These artifacts are on display in the basement of the Red Brick Store.

Today we took a tour to learn about the Hopewell Indian Culture and a possible connection to the Book of Mormon. As a way to introduce this culture I've included below an excerpt from the Encyclopedia Britannica:

"[The Hopewell culture, a], notable ancient Indian culture of the east-central area of North America. . . flourished from about 200 bce to 500 ce chiefly in what is now southern Ohio, with related groups in Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and New York. . . . The earthworks [built by Hopewell Indians] sometimes suggest defensive purposes, but more often they served as burial mounds or apparently formed the bases of temples or other structures. . . . Trade routes were evidently well developed, for material from as far away as the Rocky Mountains and the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean are found in Hopewell sites, and articles identified as manufactured by the Hopewell Indians are found in localities as far distant. After about 400 ce the more spectacular features of the Hopewell culture gradually disappeared. The quantity and quality of fine articles and mounds declined, and the people apparently became less sedentary and more loosely organized."

It is estimated that the Hopewell Indians built as many as 155,000 mounds. Our guide, who showed us a few of these mounds, was Cal Christensen, a member of the Church and Nauvoo Temple worker.

Brother Christensen is on the left. The others pictured serve with us in the temple. (Blaine and Dawn Russell, Idaho Falls, ID; Randall and Judy Peterson, Nauvoo, IL; Vernon and Susan Moon, Ogden, UT; and Dane and Barbara Chapman, Manti, UT.)

We began our tour on the east bank of the Mississippi River near Nauvoo. (Brother Christensen believes the Mississippi is the River Sidon.) Below is a photograph of a ramp built to access the top of a mound, which was probably used for defensive purpose. The next picture shows a defensive earthwork that appears to have been thrown up.

We read in the book of Alma (50:1-6) the following:

"And now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence in the commencement of the twentieth year of the reign of the judges, that they should commence in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites. And upon the top of these ridges of earth he caused that there should be timbers, yea, works of timbers built up to the height of a man, round about the cities. And he caused that upon those works of timbers there should be a frame of pickets built upon the timbers round about; and they were strong and high. And he caused towers to be erected that overlooked those works of pickets, and he caused places of security to be built upon those towers, that the stones and the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them. And they were prepared that they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their pleasure and their strength, and slay him who should attempt to approach near the walls of the city. Thus Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all the land."

Below is a mound on the west side of the Mississippi. The top is used as a cemetery now.

Looking to the south from this mound is farm land that reminded Sandy of Adam Ondi Ahman.

Brother Christensen believes that the City of Zarahemla was on the west side of the Mississippi across from Nauvoo. A revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants directed that this area be called Zarahemla (D&C 125:3).

"Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it."

Below is a picture from material prepared by Brother Christensen regarding the general location of Book of Mormon lands.

The tour was interesting, and what we were told seems credible.

This evening there was a talent show for the temple missionaries. It was enjoyable. On the way back to our apartment (9:00 PM) we drove past the temple and took this photograph.

The Nauvoo Temple faces west; most temples face east. In 2002, President Hinckley said: "Today, facing west, on the high bluff overlooking the city of Nauvoo, thence across the Mississippi, and over the plains of Iowa, there stands Joseph's temple, a magnificent house of God. Here in the Salt Lake Valley, facing east to that beautiful temple in Nauvoo, stands Brigham's temple, the Salt Lake Temple. They look toward one another as bookends between which there are volumes that speak of the suffering, the sorrow, the sacrifice, even the deaths of thousands who made the long journey from the Mississippi River to the valley of the Great Salt Lake." (Gordon B. Hinckley, "O That I Were An Angel," Ensign, November, 2002).

We went to the Family History Center this afternoon. With the help of a family history consultant we were able to identify some ancestors that need temple work done for them. We printed family file cards and are excited to complete needed ordinances.

Tonight we attended a "Sociable" at the stake center featuring the BYU International Folk Dance team that's in Nauvoo for two weeks. They sang and performed with musical instruments. Several of the team members also gave short talks about gospel principles. It was an excellent event.

On our way home we took this picture of a sunset by the Mississippi.

Today I performed a licensed marriage for Michael James Judd and Danielle Elaine Pack. The groom is from Sacramento, CA, and the bride is from Des Moines, IA. They met at BYU-Idaho. Before I performed the sealing I spoke with them and was able to establish that the bride and I are cousins through John Pack. What a treat to be able to come to Nauvoo, meet a distant cousin, and then seal that cousin to her husband for time and all eternity.

The Church sponsors dozens of performances and activities during the summer in Nauvoo. Tonight we attended three shows. The first was the Nauvoo Brass Band composed of performance missionaries. The second show was Sunset on the Mississippi composed of performance missionaries and site missionaries. The third show was the International Folk Dance Ensemble from BYU. It was an excellent night of entertainment.

Performance missionaries are young men and women who audition to serve for three months during the summer. In addition to their performances we see them regularly in the temple attending endowment sessions and performing proxy baptisms. Site missionaries are senior couples who typically serve for eighteen months. They are hosts during the day at historical sites, and then at night they perform in four different productions.

Tonight we happened to sit behind the grandparents of the bride I sealed today. We had a nice visit with them.

We walked to the performances. It was dark on our way home and we saw dozens of fireflies.

There are three missions in Nauvoo, each with a president and counselors: 1) proselyting missionaries; 2) site missionaries; and, 3) temple missionaries.

Below is an email Sandy sent to our family on June 6.

Hi all!

Just to keep you updated on the deer sightings: Saturday morning we came across a "family" of three (a fawn and parents), and on Sunday after church we saw a large white tail feeding in the shade by the woods.

On a less positive note, "road kill" is a frequent sight on the highways (maybe possums?). Last night we had so many "May flies" that they actually formed a layer on the front door and porch. Our downstairs neighbor sprayed them with bug killer and after he swept them away, it looked like sawdust had been sprinkled in the flower bed.

Tonight we went with four other couples to the home of some local temple workers (the Tukuafu's) who live in a "round house" near the river. The wife builds musical instruments (harps, dulcimers, psalteries, and banjos), and the couple plays them. After a tour of their unique home, they entertained us with some lovely music.

Sending much love...

P.S. The corn stalks in the fields are growing like crazy! Apparently they can grow as much as six inches a day!!

She sent this email on June 2.

Dear Ones ...

Just wanted to tell you how much we love and miss you and let you know that you're always in our thoughts and prayers. I'm glad we've made some happy family memories to reflect on during the next five months -- but oh how good it would feel to be together right this minute!

The summer tourist season has begun here and busloads of people are coming into town. On Thursdays your dad and I have been assigned to serve in the baptistry where there are always interesting people to meet. Today the young performing missionaries came to do baptisms, and also family and youth groups from Arizona, Missouri, and Utah.

It's easy to find something lovely/interesting to see every day in this rural setting. For example, the corn fields that were planted just weeks ago have changed from tiny green sprouts to stalks that must be about a foot tall now. Today your dad had a meeting after our shift, so I walked home from the temple. In the distance I spotted a deer jump the fence, cross the road, and then run into the nearby woods.
It was so neat!

For the most part it's quiet in our neighborhood, but my favorite sounds are when we get to hear the birds chattering, the temple bell ringing every hour on the hour, and trains whistling in the distance. Life is good.

Hugs and kisses to all!     SURE DO LOVE YOU EVERYBODY...

Yesterday, our home evening group went to the home of Tomosia and Irene Tukuafu. They live in Nauvoo in a round house next to the Mississippi River. They are from Hawaii; he is Tongan and she has a diverse heritage. They are ordinance workers, and she builds and play harps, dulcimers, psaltries, and banjos. They are the parents of 14 children and 56 grandchildren. Sister Tukuafu demonstrated some of the instruments she has built. They then played and sang for us. They served us fresh homemade herbal bread, and slices of watermelon. It was an enjoyable evening.

This bed is made from Mississippi River drift wood.

Loft

View from the loft.

As a young father, Brother Tukuafu speared fish in the ocean surrounding the island of Oahu, and fed his family.

Next to their home is Sister Tukuafu's workshop.

"The Music Maker"

Today I spent some time in the Baptistry as a recorder. A family from Utah came to do baptisms with their teenage children. One son was severally physically handicapped, though mentally normal. The father carried his disabled son into the font. Another son helped support his brother while the father stated the prayer. As the father immersed his disabled son, his other son supported the head of his brother and held his nose closed. I was mesmerized and emotional as I watched this example of faith and love. This is one of the highlights from serving in the Nauvoo Temple.